Monday, October 8, 2018

Daisy Brittle StarOphiopholis aculeataOphiopholis aculeata feeds on detritus and small organisms that
it traps with its tube feet and with mucus secreted by glands on its
arms. It is generally found on rocky substrates where it has a tendency
to hide inside shells, in hollows and crevices. It is preyed on by fish
and birds. In the Pacific Ocean, its range stretches from Japan and the
Bering Sea southwards to California. It is generally found on rocky
substrates where it has a tendency to hide inside shells, in hollows and
crevices. It generally occurs at depths less than 300 m (1,000 ft) but
has been found as deep as 1,880 m (6,200 ft). (Wikipedia)

Major Climate Report Describes a Strong Risk of Crisis as Early as 2040
A landmark report from the United Nations’ scientific panel on climate
change paints a far more dire picture of the immediate consequences of
climate change than previously thought and says that avoiding the damage
requires transforming the world economy at a speed and scale that has
“no documented historic precedent.” The report,
issued on Monday by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a
group of scientists convened by the United Nations to guide world
leaders, describes a world of worsening food shortages and wildfires,
and a mass die-off of coral reefs as soon as 2040 — a period well within
the lifetime of much of the global population. Coral Davenport reports.
(NY Times) See also: Why Half a Degree of Global Warming Is a Big Deal Brad Plumer and Nadja Popovich reports. (NY Times)

Snohomish County Council poised to uphold Point Wells denial
A developer seeking to build more than 3,000 condos along Puget Sound in
south Snohomish County is on the verge of losing a key appeal. The
County Council is preparing to vote Monday to uphold a hearing examiner
decision to deny the high-rise project. The council last week considered
testimony from an attorney for developer BSRE Point Wells. About 20
neighbors and city officials from Woodway and Shoreline spoke against
the project. Jack Malek, a real-estate broker in Shoreline’s Richmond
Beach neighborhood, likened the project to “a Wall Street-inspired
pump-and-dump scheme” and alleged that BSRE has misused a land-use
doctrine known as vesting. If approved, BSRE’s plans call for 46
buildings at Point Wells, which has been in industrial use for more than
a century. Almost half of the proposed buildings would exceed 90 feet,
with the tallest reaching 180 feet. Construction would take place in
phases, over a couple of decades, after an extensive environmental
cleanup. The unincorporated parcel covers 60 acres. Noah Haglund
reports. (Everett Herald)

Pierce County salmon restoration work good news for endangered orcas
.... The orcas’ dire situation was a source of painful and blunt
conversation last week in a van filled with people affiliated with the
Floodplains for the Future partnership, a multi-agency effort that
focuses on recovering flood plains along the Puyallup, Carbon and White
Rivers. “The orca population has been struggling. We saw a calf that was
born die 30 minutes later. Another young orca died because it was
malnourished — they don’t have enough food,” said Jordan Rash from the
back of the van. Rash is the conservation director for Forterra, a
nonprofit land conservation and urban design organization that’s
involved in the Floodplains for the Future partnership. Matt Driscoll
reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Scientists optimistic about return of chinook to Elwha River
Chinook salmon are now returning to the Elwha River in droves and the
scientists who study them are excited about what they may learn this
season. Scientists now are collecting data that will determine what
percentage of the chinook spawning in the Elwha were actually born in
the river after the removal of two dams in 2014. This is potentially the
first year since the removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams that
they could see an increase in chinook salmon born in the Elwha River
returning from sea to spawn, but scientists tracking that data said they
want to see the data first before reaching any conclusions. Jesse Major
reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Project looks to restore North Vancouver mudflats where First Nations once harvested seafood
A restoration project in North Vancouver is looking to clean up the area
to bring back marine life after decades of industry logging and
dredging put an end to the bounty. The waterfront at Maplewood Flats,
east of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, was once a key place for the
Tsleil-Waututh First Nation to harvest shellfish and salmon, but years
of industrial use took a heavy toll on the area. "The Burrard Inlet once
provided over 90 per cent of the food that Tsleil-Waututh community
members ate," said John Konovsky, a senior advisor on environmental
issues for the Tsleil-Waututh. Clare Hennig reports. (CBC)

European green crab’s reach stretches across North Olympic Peninsula
The European green crab now spans the North Olympic Peninsula, having
been found among fallen trees in the Tsoo-Yess River in Neah Bay, in the
muddy canals of Graveyard Spit in Dungeness and in the waters of Kala
Point near Port Townsend. Its reach concerns resource managers because
scientists list the crab as one of the world’s most invasive species and
blame it for damaging the U.S. East Coast’s clamming industry. The
green crab, distinctive for its five spines on the side of each eye,
competes with such native species as Dungeness crab. Matthew Nash
reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Are we watching a real-time extinction of southern resident killer whales?
Images of the orca J35 Tahlequah carrying her dead newborn for a
heartbreaking 17 days over 1,600 kilometres were seen around the world.
Canadian and American veterinarians and biologists then joined forces in
dramatic fashion to diagnose and treat the ailing three-year-old J50
Scarlet from the same pod, but failed to save her life. Three deaths
this summer — including the young male L92 Crewser, which disappeared in
June — have focused the world’s attention on the difficulties facing
southern resident killer whales like never before. Now, the world will
watch as we bring the 74 remaining community members back from the
brink, or witness their extinction. Biologists and conservationists hope
the celebrity of the Salish Sea’s orcas can be used to save them. Randy
Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Hood Canal avoids a major fish kill following unwelcome conditions
Southern Hood Canal avoided a major fish kill this year, but for a few
days in September it looked like conditions were set for low-oxygen
waters to rise to the surface, leaving fish in a critical state with no
place to go, experts say. Seth Book, a biologist with the Skokomish
Tribe, has been keeping a close watch on a monitoring buoy at Hoodsport.
Dissolved oxygen in deep waters reached a very low concentration near
the end of September, raising concerns that if these waters were to rise
to the surface they could suddenly lead to a deadly low-oxygen
condition. This typically happens when south winds blow the surface
waters to the north. Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

Expansion of LNG production in B.C.’s climate plan could prove tricky
Amid the celebrations this week over B.C. getting its first major LNG
project, provincial officials indicated that LNG Canada might also be
the last of its kind. The obstacle to further expansion is one that
critics said should frustrate the development of even one LNG terminal:
meeting the province’s legislated targets for reducing greenhouse gas
emissions. The New Democrats are struggling mightily to reconcile the
emissions from LNG Canada with the province’s legislated target for
reducing B.C.’s overall emissions to 40 per cent below the year 2015
benchmark by 2030. A revised climate plan, due later this fall, is
supposed to get the province 75 per cent of the way to the target. A
second-phase plan, to be worked on next year, will have to map the way
to closing the remaining 25 per cent. Both phases of the plan will take
into account the additional emissions associated with LNG Canada,
reckoned to be 3.45 million tonnes per year or almost 10 per cent of the
total amount of emissions to be reduced. Vaughn Palmer writes.
(Vancouver Sun)

Plastic Waste Cleanup System Heads for Pacific Garbage Patch
The project to remove plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch has
received the green light to deploy after successful round of testing off
the coast of California. In a social media post Tuesday, environmental
NGO The Ocean Cleanup reported that it has "a go" to move forward with
the project. Tests conducted with the help of a Maersk Supply Service
offshore tug were successful, fulfilling key requirements for the
snake-shaped system, like its u-shaped formation; its speed through the
water; its ability to reorient itself when wind and wave directions
change; and its resistance to damage in the harsh Pacific Ocean
environment. (Marine Executive)

Mammoth mushroom find thrills Vancouver couple
Mushroom pickers are known for being secretive when foraging for their
favourite fungi, but Olya Kutsiuruba said her husband, David Swab, was
anything but quiet when he came upon their latest find Thursday....The
mushroom clocks in at 2,922 grams (almost 7 pounds) and is roughly the
size of a basketball... While fall is typically the busy season for
mushroom pickers, mushroom expert Paul Kroeger, a past president of the
Vancouver Mycological Society, says this year has been particularly
favourable.... Kroeger says the King Bolete mushroom of the size found
by Kutsiuruba and Swab does occur periodically, although the tastier
specimens are usually smaller, roughly the size of a billiard ball.
Roshini Nair reports. (CBC)

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Salish Sea Communications provides communications and public relations services that raise visibility and engage audiences. Drawing on over 30 years experience in private, public and not-for-profit work, Mike Sato brings to you his skills and insights in developing and carrying out your print, electronic and social media projects and products. "I've been in the communications business since 1977 starting with community weekly newspapers then working for Seattle City Light, the Puget Sound Water Quality Authority, Hawaiian Electric Company and, for 20 years, People For Puget Sound." Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told. WA State UBI #601395482